El Convento Rico, a longtime staple in Toronto’s nightclub scene, has announced it will be closing its doors after 35 years in business. “Tonight, we say goodbye to 750 College St.—a place that became so much more than four walls,” a spokesperson on behalf of El Convento Rico said in a statement online Thursday. “It became a home, a stage, a refuge, a family, and a place where so many of us were able to laugh, dance, love, celebrate, and simply be ourselves.” The club, which was known to serve members of the LGBTQ2S+ and Latin communities, first opened its doors in 1992 in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, hosting drag show performances and platforming local DJs. The venue was known to play energetic, eclectic tunes with Latin influences, along with mainstream club hits, before its sudden closure. The circumstances behind the closure are currently unclear. Officials on behalf of the nightclub did not respond to CTV News immediate request for comment. “Thank you to our community. You gave El Convento Rico its soul. For 35 years, you kept the music playing, the lights shining, and the memories alive,” the post read. “To every queen who stepped onto our stage, every artist who shared their talent, every staff member who gave their heart, and every person who ever walked through our doors—thank you.”
